GSM-R

Nokia Siemens
Networks
Corporation
P.O. Box 1
FI-02022
NOKIA SIEMENS
NETWORKS
Finland

Visiting address:
Karaportti 3, ESPOO,
Finland

Tomorrows communication
for todays rail transportation

Switchboard
+358 71 400 4000
(Finland)
+49 89 5159 01
(Germany)

Copyright 2008 Nokia Siemens Networks. All rights reserved

Nokia Siemens Networks and the wave logo are registered trademarks of Nokia Siemens Networks..
Other company and product names mentioned herein may be trademarks or trade names of their
respective owners.
This publication is issued to provide information only and is not to form part of any order contract.
The products and services described herein are subject to availability and change without notice.
Code C401-00226-WP-200805-1-EN Nokia Siemens Networks - 06/2008 Contra

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GSM-R - Tomorrows communication for todays rail transportation

Introduction

 SM-R has been developed in order to meet existing and future requirements
G
from Railways. As the name indicates, GSM-R is completely based on the GSM
standards in order to ensure that the system will be future proof and to take advantage of
the functionality provided for public GSM systems and customers.

Contents
Introduction
GSM-R market and standardization
Requirements for present and future communication systems
Nokia Siemens Networks solution for railway communication
Features and applications
Special requirements on a GSM-R network
GSM-R Evolution
Conclusion
List of abbreviations

3
4
6
8
10
18
24
26
27

The additional R stands for

Railways and indicates the add-on
delta between GSM and GSM-R.
This delta consists of the special
functionality that has been specified
in the official standard EIRENE, for
GSM-R, such as group calls and
calling with functional numbers.

Our customers require end-to-end

solutions; and the pace of their
requirements will accelerate in the
future. We can help change the way
they do business and capture value.
We listen to our customers, innovate
together and solve our customers
most pressing business challenges.

Nokia Siemens Networks has been

involved since the beginning of the
standardization and trials for GSM-R
and is the number one supplier with
projects in most European countries,
China, India and Saudi Arabia, as
well as pilots in various countries.

We bring the benefits of scale

and global reach, plus a deep
understanding of operator business,
an industry-leading research and
development organization, and a
wide range of services, products
and solutions to our customers.

The company comprises the former

Networks Business Group of Nokia
and the carrier-related businesses of
Siemens and continues the legacy of
two industry champions Nokia and
Siemens.
Siemens has been a frontrunner
in the communications industry
since the mid 19th century, while
Nokia pioneered the development of
mobile communications and became
the world leader in this field.

But, to succeed in a rapidly evolving

communications industry, scale
is not enough. Therefore, we are
building an organization and culture
that constantly evolves to address
our customers key challenges and
lead industry change.
This paper aims to give an overview
of the functionalities provided with
GSM-R, the status of GSM-R and
a description of the Nokia Siemens
Networks solution for the railways.

Nokia Siemens Networks

value added services

Railway specific
functionality (EIRENE)

GSM enhancements for railways

(by ETSI)

Standard GSM functionality

Figure 1 Nokia Siemens Networks GSM-R solution

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GSM-R - Tomorrows communication for todays rail transportation

GSM-R market
and standardization
The current status
of GSM-R
The GSM-R infrastructure is, except
for a few countries, being rolled out
all over Europe. National rollouts
have been done in Sweden, Norway,
Italy, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland,
the Netherlands, and Germany.
Nokia Siemens Networks is the
major supplier for all these projects
and as Radio supplier for Germany.
Some regions in India as well as first
corridors in Saudi Arabia and China
are also equipped with GSM-R.
Trial networks for specification
verification (EIRENE/MORANE)

were successfully installed and

handed over to customers in
Germany, France and Italy. For the
MORANE networks Nokia Siemens
Networks was the exclusive supplier
of the GSM-R Core System (MSC/
VLR/HLR/AC/GCR). Also TRAU,
BSC and BTS were provided from
Nokia Siemens Networks amongst
others.
The goal of these pilot projects
was to test and validate coverage
(especially in tunnels and difficult
terrain), EIRENE/MORANE defined
applications as well as operating
conditions under high speed of
the trains for both voice and data
transmission.

Countries with commercial projects

Sweden, Norway, Finland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain,
Italy, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Austria, UK, France, Czech Republic,
Lithuania, China, India, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Algeria
Countries calling for tender
Australia, Hungary, Eurotunnel, Venezuela
Countries preparing for tender
Poland, Portugal, Denmark, Pakistan, Luxembourg,
Ireland, Slovakia, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria,
Ukraine, Egypt, Iran, Russia, Belerus and different
projects in South America

GSM-R
- background
Railway operators have lots
of different communication
requirements for operation and
maintenance of their railroad
networks, these communication
requirements were traditionally
met by different technical system
solutions. In Europe more than 35
different systems were in use.
In order for the railways to be
able to compete with other means
of transportation it was found
that border crossing of trains
must be improved. Until recently
changes of trains due to different
communication systems were not
unusual, thus the average speed
of the railway transportation was
slowed down significantly.
As some of the systems in use were
installed decades ago, are outdated
and need to be replaced with new
technology, the railway operators
saw the need for a future proof
digital radio system which fulfils
existing requirements as well as new

requirements evolving from border

crossing train connections, cost
effectiveness and quality of service.
Based on the above mentioned
the following requirements were
identified:
World wide standard with a
minimum of modifications
for railway which is proven
in operation in public mobile
networks.
Cost effective and economic in
realisation and operation.
Standardized transmission
system components as for the
public market (no railway specific
implementation to minimize
investment).
Railway specific services and the
radio transmission systems today
in use.
General requirements for a future
railway mobile communication
system.
Integration of all railway services
into one communication network.
High reliability and availability, as
well as high transmission quality
for up to 500 km/h.
Ability of smooth integration
of new services defined in the
future.
Interoperable systems in different
countries in order to make it
easier for trains to cross country
borders.
Consequently, the specification
task force for EIRENE (European
Integrated Railway Radio Enhanced
Network), established by UIC

With GSM selected as the basis

for the new communication
system, railway operators which
had specified EIRENE faced two
tasks. They needed to define the
system requirements and functional
requirements that would guarantee
interoperability between railway
networks.
At an early stage it was established
that a common frequency
band was a key element for
effective international (border
crossing) operation of a railway
communication system. In 1995
two new frequency bands 876-880
MHz (uplink from mobile) and
921-925 MHz (downlink to mobile)
were reserved European wide
for EIRENE systems (later called
GSM-R-Band) in the CEPT
documentTR 25-09. Thus the key
requirement for border crossing
traffic was resolved and Railways
had received 4 MHz spectrum for
their radio communication needs
which corresponded with 19 different
frequencies, each carrying 8 traffic
channels.
MORANE (MObile RAdio for
Railways Networks in Europe) was

ETSI
ETSI-SMG

INDUSTRIAL
PARTNERS
Figure 2 GSM-R status in February 2008

GSM_R_Description_A4_v2.indd 4-5

a consortium of railway operators,

GSM manufacturers and research
organisations. The objective of the
MORANE project and its trial sites
was to specify, develop, test and
validate prototypes of a GSM-R
network to ensure that global
requirements of the railways were
met. The validation was successfully
completed. Both EIRENE and
MORANE produced during this
work a set of specifications to allow
individual railways the procurement
of fully operational and validated
GSM-R products.

(Union International des Chemins

de fer), evaluated candidate
systems like GSM and TETRA
regarding their functionality. In 1995
UIC selected GSM as the most
suitable technology to meet railway
requirements and as the basis for
the EIRENE specification.

UIC also created several new

service requests for the GSMsystem as work items for ETSI to
fulfil the railways requirements for
the mobile radio system. These
service requests have been
standardized within GSM Phase 2+.
In 1997 UIC EIRENE established
a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) within the European Union to
introduce GSM-R in the undersigned
organisations at least for border
crossing traffic. More than 30
UIC members have signed up to
this MoU now. The introduction
of GSM-R in these countries and
railways is a fact and has been going
on since 1998.
Links:
UIC: [Link]
EIRENE/MORANE: [Link]
[Link]/[Link]
ETSI: [Link]

UIC

From the requirements for a new

common communication standard
for the railways

EIRENE

Railway communications Standard

body, defines the functional
charasteristics and interoperability
of GSM-R networks

MORANE

Development and test of a GSM-R

system based on the specifications
definet by EIRENE

Figure 3 Specification and validation bodies for GSM-R

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GSM-R - Tomorrows communication for todays rail transportation

Requirements
for present and future
communication systems
Yesterdays railway
communication
systems

Until recently, most railway

telecommunication networks used
different systems for the various
types of applications needed and
users connected. These systems
typically belonged to an earlier
generation of communication
systems. Each application normally

utilized a dedicated communication

system for either voice or data
communication.
The systems listed below represent
some of the most commonly used
systems. Many more systems may
exist in individual countries.

Application

Communication system in use

Train Controller Driver

Communication

Trunked radio system working at 460 MHz (in England also 200 MHz),
e.g. UIC 751-3, BR 1845 (BR 1609)

Automatic train control

Railroad based cable (radio transmission at 36/56 KHz), e.g. LZB 80

Shunting teams

80 MHz and 450 MHz radio with walkie talkie functionality

Emergency Communication
within an area

Trunked radio system working at 460 MHz (in addition radio systems
as used by the local emergency services)

Trackside Maintenance

Analogue wired telephone, trackside installed (depending on

the coverage, sometimes PLMN-GSM-mobiles)

Train Support Communication

Different systems depending on type and importance of the support,

often no communication equipment

Wide Area Communication

ISDN or analogue networks for voice communication, X.25- and/or

LAN for data communication

Passenger Services

Analogue mobile radio system, where available.

Often no service at all

Local Communication at Station

and Depots

PABX networks, analogue 160 MHz radio systems

In most cases these systems

used analogue technology and
individual frequency ranges and
communication protocols. Most of
the time, these systems were not
interoperable. The consequences
were:
Limited applications.
Inefficient use of resources
(eg. radio frequencies, cabling).
High procurement cost (several
different systems, no big market
for suppliers).
High operational cost (power
supply, leased line cost).
High maintenance cost (service
organisation and logistics for each
of the systems).
Technical evolution almost
impossible.
Change of radio/train set at
border crossing between
countries.
The UIC chose GSM-R as the
preferred solution and it was specified
in EIRENE. The choice of GSM-R by
the railway community was motivated
by its strong potential to:
Support numerous applications
due to the ISDN character of the
network.
Achieve interoperability.

Service organisation & logistics

for only one system.
Open for technical evolution
(state-of-the-art technology).
The process of defining and
standardising requirements that
are derived from applications and
GSM Phase 2/2+ standards, which
define GSM-R, involved railway
organisations, railway entities, ETSI
and industrial partners.
The functional needs of railways
for communication systems can be
divided into two sections
EIRENE requirements commonly
defined by European railways
Country or operator specific
requirements deriving from the
railway operators needs

In countries outside of the European

Union, frequency bands free for
use for GSM-R may differ from
the standard GSM-R frequency
band due to national regulations
(e.g. GSM-R band occupied by
military or national security) and
have to be agreed upon. GSM-R
implementation is still possible, but
border-crossing traffic may not be
prevented due to different frequency
ranges or the availability of mobile
terminals operating in different
frequency bands. Public GSM
frequencies (GSM 850, 900 and
1800) are generally also supported
by off the shelf GSM-R products.
Other frequencies could be possible
as well.

One goal for GSM-R was to

reserve an European wide radio
frequency band in order to realize
border crossing of international
high-speed and freight trains without
change of equipment or stops at
national borders. Combined with the
standardized EIRENE functionality
this guarantees interoperability
and seamless border crossing
capabilities.

Figure 4 Previous railway applications and the typical used system

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GSM-R - Tomorrows communication for todays rail transportation

Nokia Siemens Networks

solution for railway
communication
The GSM-R
network, services
and structure
As mentioned before, the most
suitable technique complying with
the requirements in chapter 3 was
found to be GSM with some specific
railway adaptations. The basic
structure of a standard GSM-R
network architecture with
its interfaces is shown below.
The typical structure of a GSM-R
network does not differ much from
a normal GSM network in terms of
network elements, standardized
interfaces and connectivity. The
differences exist in the network
layout and planning deriving
from the critical needs of railway
networks.

GSM-R network
elements

The same components are used for

GSM-R as for GSM meaning that
well-proven concepts for HW- and
SW-error treatment exist, and this
in turn guarantees high system
reliability. Also these components
are widely spread and the
technology is proven and has been
in use in public networks for years.
Maintenance organisations and
distributing channels are available
and do not need to be established
for railway needs only. This is clearly
reducing operation & maintenance
efforts for the operator.

Core Subsystem
The Core subsystem consists of:
MSC, VLR, HLR, EIR, GCR and AuC
The MSC, Mobile Switching
Centre, is the network through
which all calls are routed. A
network can consist of more than
one MSC, for redundancy and/or
capacity reasons.
The HLR, Home Location
Register, is the entity where all
subscribers of the network are
listed. The phone number and the
different services the subscriber
is entitled to are defined here.
The VLR, Visitor Location
Register, keeps track of all
subscribers currently connected

Public GSM networks are installed

all over the world and they cover
more than 80% of the worlds
population. This figure is expected to
increase with 10% until 2010. There
is no question about it, GSM is the
leading mobile telephone system
worldwide.

Cell
Broadcast

SMS

IN

Voice
Mail

Location data
IT-world input

BSS

MSC

Terminals &
Cab Radio

Other voice
networks

Dispatchers

Need for a EIRENE

compliant network

Voice
Centre Subscriber
Recording
Management

Other data
networks
Figure 5 Full GSM-system architecture

GSM_R_Description_A4_v2.indd 8-9

GPRS Service
Node

to the network. Both subscribers

listed in the home HLR as well as
visiting subscribers.
The EIR, Equipment Identification
Register, keeps a list of mobile
phones which are to be banned
from the network or monitored.
This is designed to allow tracking
of stolen mobile phones.
The GCR, Group Call Register,
is a special GSM-R register that
defines the areas, numbers and
the dispatchers to be connected
for different group calls. The area
is typically a number of radio cells,
the number is a short number
defined in the numbering plan
and the dispatchers are the train
controllers responsible for the area.
The AuC, Authentication Centre,
is a function to authenticate each
SIM card that attempts to connect
to the network. An encryption key
is generated that subsequently
encrypts all communication.
Nokia Siemens Networks switches
are based on most successful digital
switching system worldwide. All
register functions like VLR, HLR, EIR
and GCR are realized as software
implementations. This gives
operators the opportunity to select
a flexible structure for the GSM-R
nodes depending on network growth
and organisational structure. In
most cases MSC, VLR, EIR, GCR,
HLR and AuC will be installed in
one network element. Of course, an
operator can also select to split them
up into dedicated network elements
with further growth of the network
or to increase availability. This
comprises a very cost effective and
maintenance friendly network rollout.
Radio Subsystem
The Radio subsystem consists of:
BTS, BSC and TRAU
The BTS, Base Transceiver
Station, transmits and receives
communication from mobile
entities. The closer to a BTS the
mobile is the better coverage is
provided.
The BSC, Base Station Controller,
controls a set of BTS. Different
methods of connecting BSCs
and BTSs gives different network
availablities, this is described in
chapter [Link].
The TRAU, Transcoding Rate
Adaptation Unit, decodes the
communication sent between the
Core and Radio subsystems.
Different radio planning aspects are
described in the following chapters.

Support Subsystem
Some support subsystem are: IN,
SMSC, VMS, CBC, MonC, ABC,
AckC, GPRS etc.
The IN, Intelligent Network, is
the major entity for additional
services. The flexibility of the
IN system makes it suitable for
customer specific adaptations
and services. Many GSM-R
specific functionalities have been
developed in the IN system.
The CBC, Cell Broadcast Centre,
sends text messages to all
mobiles in a certain cell. Typically
the name of the actual radio cell
can be broadcasted.
The SMSC, Short Message
Service Centre, is the subsystem
that handles SMS.
The VMS, Voice Mail Centre, is
the network entity where Voice
Mails are stored.
The MonC, Monitoring Centre, is
a subsystem for recording certain
predefined communication.
Typically all communication to
and from train controllers are
recorded for security and post
accident analysis.
The AckC, Acknowledgement
Centre, is a GSM-R specific
functionality specified in
EIRENE. The data of all Railway
Emergency Calls is stored here,
such as who participated in the
call, when and where the call was
set up and duration of the call.
The functionality in combination
with the MonC can be compared
to the Black Boxes that
airplanes use for post accident
analysis.
The ABC, Administration and
Billing Centre, is responsible
for entering and modifying
subscribers into the HLR as
well as generating a bill for each
subscriber.
The GPRS, General Packet
Radio Services, transports the
Internet Protocol packet services
towards data networks such as
Internet.

are controlled and route orders

are distributed. Large (10-50
train controllers) and small(1-10)
train controller centres can be
connected. The Dispatcher
terminals are either connected
via fixed lines or over the radio
interface of the GSM-R network.
Other voice networks can be
connected such as other GSM
and GSM-R networks, fixed line
networks and company phone
networks. This makes it possible
to make calls to and from other
networks. If roaming agreements
are in place it is also possible to
use the GSM-R phone in other
GSM and GSM-R networks,
internationally and nationally.
Other Data Networks, typically
Internet can be connected just as
in normal GSM/GPRS networks.
GSM-R terminals
Different types of mobile terminals
are available for GSM-R users.
The CAB radios are permanently
installed inside trains. These
terminals are often mounded
in a rack with a handset and a
graphical display.
The OPH, Operational Purpose
Handheld, are robust mobile
phones equipped with GSM-R
specific functionality. Their users
are thought to be the personnel
working in operational mode
along the track or in the trains.
The GPH, General Purpose
Handheld, is the office version of
the OPH.
The OPS, Operational Purpose
Shunting, is designed for
personnel that work with shunting.
Connecting trains at shunting
yards etc. These terminals
are designed to stand tougher
conditions than the OPH.

Connected systems
The GSM-R network can connect to
various other systems.
Location information systems
such as balise systems can be
connected. This increases the
granularity of Location Dependant
addressing for example.
Dispatcher systems are train
controller systems, similar to
flight control. From here the trains

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Features and applications

GSM-R features
and applications
commonly defined
by EIRENE
This subset of communication
requirements was studied and
identified by representatives of the
European railway operators and
displays all applications which allow
economic operation of Railway
communication today and in the
future.

Common GSM-R
features
A set of applications were defined
in EIRENE. In order to realize these
applications a set of features were
identified. Some of the features were
available in GSM and some had
to be defined by UIC in EIRENE.
Of the below mentioned features
eMLPP, VBS and VGCS were already
introduced in GSM as the so-called
Advanced Speech Call Item (ASCI)
and were specified in GSM Phase 2+.
Functional addressing
Many organisations have employees
working with daily changing duties.
Not only these subscribers but

Controller

Calling
Functional Number
e.g. 2-12345-01

also applications are addressed by

telephone numbers and/or functional
numbers/names. Without GSM-R
such tables of telephone numbers
and functional numbers/names have
to be cross-referenced manually to
allow identification and connectivity of
the person or application subscribing
to a particular permanent number.
Functional addressing allows the
definition of functional numbers to
be performed. These functional
numbers represent for example train
running numbers and function code.
(ref. EIRENE FRS ch11)
At the beginning of a journey or a job
the train driver or employee registers
his mobile number (MSISDN) to the
functional number (FN) of the train.
From now on, until deregistration,
a call to the train drivers functional
number will always be forwarded
to the train drivers MSISDN.
Since international inter-working is
available, the call to the functional
number will be processed in any of
the participating railway networks.
At the end of the journey or job he
may deregister. This applies also
for change of direction of the train. If
necessary, the network operator can
also deregister a subscriber (Forced
Deregistration).
Functional addressing is mainly used
for ground-to-train communication.

MSC

Integration
for FN

IN or HLR

MSC
MSC establishes connection to the full
telephone number associated with the right Cell ID

Location dependent addressing

Controller B

Location dependent addressing

provides the automatic routing of
Mobile Originated Calls (MOC) to
predefined destinations relative to
the geographical area where the
subscriber is roaming.
The entire network of railways is
split into different types of service
areas (train monitoring, train
control, power supply, substation).
A train on a journey, e.g. from
Paris to Vienna, passes through
several of these areas (e.g. Group
Call Areas, GCA). A connection
between the train driver and the
controller of the corresponding area
should be easy to establish. The
train driver should have no need
to dial long numbers after he has
decided in which area he is actually
driving.
Therefore, the train driver will only
dial a short number as defined in
the EIRENE numbering plan. This
short number will be automatically
converted into the corresponding
long number(s) of the train
controller(s) responsible for the
area the train is actually moving
through. If a train passes between
two controller areas an additional
overlapping Group Call Area can
be added, or the connection can be
made to both controllers.

IN or HLR

Controller A

Figure 7 Location Dependent Addressing

Nokia Siemens Networks

implements two versions of Location
Dependent Addressing, HLR based
and IN based. Both functionalities
are interoperable as required from
EIRENE/MORANE. With the IN
version external positioning systems
can be used in order to increase the
granularity of train positions.

The application ERTMS/ETCS

has the need for a continuous
data connection. If a handover to
neighboring cells is unsuccessful
due to congestion on the radio
channel, a pre-emption service
is necessary to allow immediate
access to a traffic channel occupied
by a lower priority application.

enhanced Multi-Level Precedence

and Pre-emption (eMLPP)

Railway Emergency Calls need

an immediate call setup in the
emergency call area, regardless if
free radio channels are available
or not. A pre-emption service will
release ongoing low priority calls to
free traffic channels for emergency
call setup. In addition, these calls
shall be set up in two seconds or
less. Therefore a fast call setup is
required.

Railway organisations have high

performance requirements on some
types of communication. These
requirements are the ultimate need
for a radio channel and a very fast
call setup.

UIC priority
FN to
MSISDN
translation

Call established
to MSISDN
Functional Addressing uses Functional
Numbers (FN) as defined in EIRENE
2
= Call to train
12345
= Train Number
01
= Lead driver

Automatic
answering*

Shunting Communication and Train

Support Communication need
different priorities than other types of
communication. Therefore additional
priority levels are required.
Todays GSM networks only provide
access class barring as static and
queuing and priority as a call-by-call
priority call set-up function. These
functions are very limited since
priority can only be given per base
station (access class barring) or per
subscriber basis and not be varied
depending on the network situation
and priority needed. Furthermore, if
all traffic channels are used or even
congested there is no other option
than to wait with the high priority call
in a queue until a traffic channel can
be applied.

eMLPP priority
designation
Pre-emption (of)

Railway emergency

Control-command (safety) and below

Control-command (safety)

Public emergency, group calls between

drivers in the same area and below

Public emergency and group calls

between drivers in the same area

Railway operation. Control-command

information and below

Railway operation (eg calls from

or for drivers and controllers) and
control-command information

Y**

Railway information and all other calls

Railway information and

all other calls

* Auto answer only to voice calls to mobile users as defined in (GSM 02.67) (eML PP)
** Mandatory for cab radio, optional for other user equipment
Figure 6 Functional Addressing (principal flow)

GSM_R_Description_A4_v2.indd 10-11

Figure 8 Allocation of priorities in EIRENE SRS ch 10.2

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GSM-R - Tomorrows communication for todays rail transportation

To introduce a ranking in priority, up
to five different eMLPP priority levels
are specified for a subscriber (0 to
4). One or more priority levels can
be assigned to a mobile subscriber.
Maximum allowed and default
priority will be stored in the HLR with
the related subscriber data. When
an eMLPP priority call is made, the
priority of the call will be included in
the setup message.
The priority will be evaluated and
give access to the appropriate
channel for either call setup or
handover. High priority calls can get
access to resources lower priority
users engaged in conversation.
This is particularly important in
safety critical applications where
users must be notified immediately
and the high priority call cannot wait
in a queue for a free radio channel.
The mobile stations can perform
an automatic call hold functionality
without user interaction for high
priority eMLPP calls that arrive
during engagement in another
lower priority call. The lower priority
call will be put on hold and the
high priority eMLPP call will be
connected. This improves the ease
of handling and the call success rate
for high priority calls.
Fast Call Setup
GSM networks with optimized
network design allow call setup times of about 3.5 to 10s
depending on network structure

and interaction between mobile

station and network. The goal of
Fast Call Setup (e.g. for Railway
Emergency Call and other group
calls) is to shorten the call setup
time as much as possible. The
current requirements are available
in EIRENE FRS v7.0 ch3.4. Nokia
Siemens Networks has proved to
comply to all those setup times in
real GSM-R environments.
Fast Call Setup is basically
dependent on call processing time
in HLR/AC and MSC/VLR, which
have to be shortened. In addition to
this authentication and ciphering will
be switched off or delayed for these
calls.
Automatic Answering
Depending on the priority of a call it
should sometimes be automatically
answered by the terminal as seen in
Figure 8.
Voice Group Call Service (VGCS)
GSM networks are designed
for point-to-point connections.
Railways and other professional
users need the key functionality of
point-to-multipoint calls as known
from Private Mobile Radio (PMR)
or Public Access Mobile Radio
(PAMR).
To introduce this into GSM the socalled Advanced Speech Call Item
(ASCI) tele-service TS 91, Voice
Group Call Service (VGCS) was
specified in GSM Phase 2+.

A VGCS call is characterized by the

following key points:
One group call number combines
all members of a certain group.
For each group call a service area
composed out of a number of
cells is assigned.
Dialling the group call number
initializes the parallel setup
of connections into all cells of
the assigned service area. All
members of this group being in
the service area will be paged
and receive a notification of the
ongoing voice broadcast call. In
parallel all fixed line subscribers
that have been defined to be part
of the group call will be alerted.
Depending on the call ID and
priority, members of the group call
can decide to join the call or not.
If a group call number is dialled, the
MSC recognizes that this number
belongs to a broadcast group.
The MSC retrieves all necessary
information from the collocated
Group Call Register (GCR). This
GCR stores tables with:
The group ID (one to seven digits
depending on the length of the
group call area ID).
The group call area ID (Country +
Mobile Network + Location Area
+ Cell IDs).
The group call reference.
The cell list corresponding to the
group call area ID (max. 50 cells/
MSC).
The dispatcher list corresponding
to the group call references.
Reference information whether or
not the call is active per group call.

The Group Area is predefined

Train controller initiates a VGCS call in a Group Area
The speech is broadcasted to all users
Train is...
Train is...
Train is...

Information about codecs.

Security information.
In addition each member of a
group call has to have an HLR
subscription for this tele-service.
The MSC connects the so
called dispatcher with a duplex
connection regardless if he is
mobile originated or fixed network
originated and initializes the
setup of half-duplex connections into
each cell of the required group call
area. Members of the group in this
area will be paged and connected
via common channel downlink,
which means they can only listen to
the call if they notify the system that
they want to speak by pressing a
Push-to-Talk button on the handset.
Group members will normally listen
to the ongoing Voice Group Call. As
soon as the initiator of the VGCS
stops speaking, he indicates that
he releases the uplink. All group
members will be notified that they
can now request an uplink to
become the next talker by using their
Push-to-Talk button.
If the last talker releases the group
call and no new requests are given
the MSC releases the VGCS after
an administrable time period.
For train controllers a dedicated
duplex channel is established, for
normal users one common downlink
is used and the current speaker uses
the uplink in this traffic channel.
If a member of the group enters the
cell after the beginning of the group
call, they have the ability to join
the ongoing group call at his time
of entry. If a member of the group
leaves the voice group call area, he
or she will be disconnected.
The setup of a VGCS is possible
with eMLPP or as a normal call
without priority and pre-emption.

OK

OK
Controller

OK
Train is coming please
acknowledge that you
have heard?

GSM_R_Description_A4_v2.indd 12-13

The figure below gives a short

overview of the applications. The
applications are based on features
available in GSM and GSM-R.

The system introduction is divided

into three levels:
LEVEL 1

makes use of the

EUROBALISE system
(tele-powering from
antenna to balise at
27,095 MHz, data
transmission from
balise to vehicle at 4
MHz/500 kBit/s). It
works as an overlay
ATP to traditional
systems.

LEVEL 2

radio-based Fixed
Block System using
GSM-R, traditional
signals like axle
counters, electronic
interlocking, lineside signals still in
operation. Level 2
is currently being
implemented in
Europe.

LEVEL 3

radio-based Moving
Block System using
GSM-R, no other
signals in operation

Railway signalling requirements

Automatic train control ATC
Old Train Control Systems have
several restrictions:
They are fixed as they are
installed alongside the track.
Each system needs separate
cabling.
They are not internationally
interoperable.
They do not allow high velocity
trains with more than 300 km/h.
High procurement and operational
cost.
The new international interoperable
automatic train control system is a
European initiative born from the
objective to define and introduce a
pan European traffic management
and train command/control system.
The stakeholders are:

Railway signalling
requirements
Operational voice
communication

Automatic Train Control

Remote Control
Train Controller-Driver Operational
communication
Emergency Area Broadcast
Shunting Communication

Voice Broadcast Service (VBS)

Driver-Driver operational communication

To introduce this into GSM the

so-called Advanced Speech Call
Item (ASCI) tele-service TS 92,
Voice Broadcast Service (VBS) was
specified in GSM Phase 2+.

Trackside Maintenance Communication

The VBS differs from the VGCS in

terms of that it is only the initiator
and the dispatchers that are allowed
to talk. Due to the obvious drawback
of unavailable confirmation from the
called parties the VBS is rarely used.
Figure 9 VGCS call

The European Train Control System

(ETCS) has been implemented
as standardized under ERTMS.
It is a harmonized modular ATP/
ATC system that uses GSM-R as
transmission system.

GSM-R
applications as
identified by
EIRENE

Train support Communication

Local and wide area
(non operational)
voice and data
communication
Passenger oriented
communication

Local Communication at Stations and Depots

Wide area Communication

Passenger Services

Figure 10 GSM-R applications as identified by EIRENE

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GSM-R - Tomorrows communication for todays rail transportation

GSM-R operators /
regulators

European railways
EEIG / UIC

Telecom
Industry Group

Railway signalling
Industry EUROSIG

The trains position, speed, number

of coaches and other train-borne
information will be transmitted
to the radio block centre (RBC).
Handover between different RBCs is
accomplished by having two GSM-R
mobiles available on the train for
ETCS with each one connected
to a RBC. The radio block centre
network compares traffic data of
all trains in the respective area and
transmits the relevant speed profile
to each individual train.
Remote Control

Figure 11 Organization participation in ERTMS

ETCS level 2/3 will be used on high

speed tracks allowing train speeds
of 350 km/h and above. Therefore
GSM-R as the communication
channel needs the following
characteristics
Bi-directional data flow between
fixed ATC-centre and the ATCcomputers on the trains over a
transparent data channel.
Continuous data links for ETCS
level 2/3 with burst transmission
of data (HDLC-protected).
Mobile speed of up to 500 km/h,
minimized handover gaps and
end-to-end data transfer delay.
With ETCS level 2/3 the ATC
computer onboard the train will
transmit its position, speed, number
of cabs and more train-borne
information to the radio block centre
(RBC). The RBC network compares
data of all trains in the respective
area and in turn computes and
transmits the necessary speed
profile to each individual train. This
together with the absence of wired
signals finally allows railways to
operate their trains with moving
block structure and no longer with
the traditional fixed block structure.
This will reduce the average
necessary distance between trains
on a single track. The expected

result will be optimized usage of the

track and minimized train delays.
ETCS level 2/3 has two principal
goals: To reach international
interoperability and to optimize
usage of the track. The second goal
is reached by using a radio system
like GSM-R to exchange signalling
information. Only without fixed
installed signals is a moving block
structure for train operation possible.
With moving block structure the
distance between trains can be kept
at a minimum.
All ETCS relevant data are generally
transmitted between ETCS trackside
and ETCS train-borne application.
This transmission link is, regarding
safety criteria, a so-called grey
channel, which means, that the safe
ETCS equipment uses GSM as the
non-safe transport layer.
This non-safe transport layer uses
logical redundancy principles and
protects ETCS information from
random and systematic errors. Thus
GSM-R (and EURORADIO) does
not need safe hardware. Protection
against malicious attacks is possible
by using ciphering but this is the
decision of the railway operator.

The remote control application

area comprises rather different
applications (one typical
application is remote control of
shunting locomotives).
In general highly safety-critical
actions will be executed and
therefore the system has to
check continuously (or at frequent
intervals) that the communication
link is still established. The
communications is almost
exclusively point to point and
coverage is only required over
a relatively small area (1-2 km)
primarily in stations, yards and
depots and only for the period that
the remote control operation is in
progress.
Operational voice communication
Operational voice communication
for railways is mainly realized
with standard GSM tele- and
supplementary services. The
following table outlines the added
services and additional functionality
from either GSM Phase 2+ and/or
EIRENE.
Train radio covers the wide field of
railways operational communications
characterized by typical functions
that were available from trunked
radio systems. These functions are
available in GSM-R.

ETCS
Trackside ETCS
Interlocking
and other
trackside
functions

ETCS
trackside
application
(RBC/RIID)

EURO
RADIO
subsystem

Figure 12 Overall System Structure of ETCS

GSM_R_Description_A4_v2.indd 14-15

Communication System

Fixed
network

GSM-R
PLMN

GSM-R
Mobile

Train Controller Driver Operational

Communication
The main function of train radio
is the communication between a
train controller station and the train
drivers.
In case the train driver calls the train
controller Functional Addressing,
Location Dependant addressing and
eMLPP will be used.
If the train driver calls a single train
Functional Addressing will be used.
If the train-driver calls a number of
trains VGCS will be used.
Emergency Area Communication
In case of an emergency where
railway organisations need to reach
all trains, dedicated functions on
train and other dedicated railway
functions within a predefined area.
A railway emergency call is
established either by train functional
personnel or train controllers. It is
always a VGCS call to a number of
cells forming the predefined area.
For security reasons Fast Call Setup
(<2 s) and eMPLL (prio 0) is used.
Users entering the emergency area
shall join the call while users leaving
the emergency area will leave the
call.

Shunting Communication

Train Support Communication

The shunting members, typically a

group of up to 10 persons, should be
able to communicate with each other
by pressing a push-to-talk button
at the mobile station (like a walkietalkie). For each member it should
be possible to belong to different
groups at the same time (a call is
only possible within one group at a
time).

Onboard the train there is an

Operations Support that needs to
talk to the leading driver and other
drivers. In addition, the fixed network
installed Customer Support System
needs to communicate with the
leading driver, other drivers and
Operations Support.

The mobile station itself has to

be ruggedized to withstand the
environmental conditions in the
shunting area and it must be
modified to allow simplified use.
Shunting team members shall be
able to communicate with other
members of the team as well as
with fixed control centres. Actual
talking time of each talker is quite
short since only a few words
will be exchanged. Due to the
low communication rate a Link
assurance signal is repeatedly
transmitted in order for the user to
verify that the communication is still
open.
Shunting emergency calls, similar to
railway emergency calls, have been
defined. These calls uses eMPLL in
order to get priority.
An international definition of shunting
communication to the extent needed
in Europe is still ongoing.

EURO
RADIO
subsystem

Driver

Trackside Maintenance
Communication
Trackside maintenance personnel
either use walkie-talkies or tracksideinstalled telephones connected via
railroad based cables. This includes
a large number of different terminals
which are an increasing investment
in operation and maintenance.
Trackside maintenance personnel
can now use GSM-R handhelds.
There is a special ruggedized
version available for difficult
operation conditions. Trackside
installed telephones, as far as still
needed, can be based on GSM-R
and can be solar powered to reduce
installation and maintenance
cost. As a fallback solution both

Train controller-driver operational

communication

Functional addressing, Location depended addressing,

enhanced Multi Level precedence and preemption, VGCS

Emergency area broadcast

Enhanced Multi Level precedence and preemption with fast

call setup, voice group call service

Shunting communication

Enhanced Multi Level Precedence and preemption, voice

group call service, link assurance signal

Train support communication

Functional addressing, Location dependent addressing,

eMLPP controller-driver operational communication

Trackside maintenance communication

Functional addressing, Location dependent addressing,

closed user group

Driver-driver operational communication

Multi-party service, closed user group, onboard wired or

DECT system addressing, location dependent addressing,
enhanced Multi Level precedence and preemption
(controller- driver)

Trainborne ETCS
ETCS
train-borne
applications
(OBU)

This type of communication is

typically distributed between fixed
network wired systems, GSM-R
and onboard systems and may be
established as a multi party call
dependent on the railway individual
application.

Driver
Figure 13 Operational voice communication and the required GSM-R-function

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handhelds and trackside-installed
telephones have both GSM-R and
public GSM frequency band. The
users can thereby roam, if a roaming
agreement exists, into a public GSM
network if there is no coverage from
the GSM-R network.
Since this is not a decided EIRENE
functionality it is up to the railway
operator to make use of these
options. But as already stated, these
options are always fully interoperable
in the GSM-R system.
Driver-Driver operational
communication
Onboard trains there is a need for
the leading driver to communicate
with other drivers or to connect
another driver as a third party into a
communication. This may be either
established directly via GSM-R as a
Multi Party Call or by using the onboard wired system, as applicable
for the individual railway.
Local and wide area (non
operational) voice and data
communication
Local Communication at Stations
and Depots
Today local communication at
stations and depots generally takes
place via railway PABX networks.
To improve functionality and
connectivity these PABX may be
connected directly or remotely to the
GSM-R systems MSC/VLR.
Wide Area Communication
Wide Area Communication in a
modern railway organisation is
typically communication between
railway organisational bodies.
Today mobility requirements for this
type of communication only exist to
a certain extent.
Therefore, Wide Area
Communication may be regarded
as communication with low or no
mobility aspects and might not
use GSM-R to save capacities
for operational purposes.
Nevertheless, dependent on the
concept of the individual railway,
these subscribers can also use
GSM-R or be connected in a Virtual
Private Network using MSC and
IN capacity deriving from GSM-R.
Thereby expensive services and
subscriptions at public operators
can be reduced or eliminated.

GSM_R_Description_A4_v2.indd 16-17

Passenger oriented communication

Today, a passenger can only
get limited information from
the train personnel if he needs
typical travel assistance. With
GSM-R, information for follow-on
connections can be accessible via
radio. Furthermore possibilities to
book hotels, change reservation or
cancel a flight can be available. Taxi
reservation, plans of other integrated
traffic partners like buses or regional
traffic systems and hotel reservation
service are other options.
Actual daily information for business
travellers like newspaper can also be
transmitted via radio to the train.
GSM-R also makes it possible to
determine the position of the train
and combine this information with
other services for passengers.
With high speed data services
such as EDGE it is possible to
receive large amounts of data and
to transmit this data via WLAN
(Wireless Local Area Network) to
passengers onboard the trains.
Please note that local regulations
may limit the possibilities for public
users to access and make use of the
GSM-R network.

Country and
operator
specific GSM-R
applications
This subset shows applications
typical for a modern railway but not
defined by EIRENE. The table below
may be extended by additional
applications or shortened for those
not needed in the individual country/
organisation.
Fleet Management
Large amounts have been saved in
optimized logistic handling of cars
and wagons at different railway
organisations.
Passenger Counting
In order to match the amount of cars
in correspondence to the amount
of passengers passenger counting
systems have been developed.
The system consists of detectors
at every door. The detectors count
the number of passengers entering/

leaving the train. The system is

connected to a location system that
gives the corresponding station.

Fleet
Management

Passenger
Counting

Passenger
Information

Video
Surveillance

Train Positioning/
Cargo Tracking

Online
Ticket Sales

Train Diagnosis
Monitoring

WLAN/VPN to
passengers

Passenger Information
Traditional schedules and
scheduling systems are normally
on paper, CD Rom or accessible
via e.g. internet. At railway stations
delays of trains are displayed, but
not the consequences for followon connections. In high speed
trains like ICE or other international
trains delays and the follow-on
connections will be announced by
the train driver to the passengers,
usually before proceeding to a
railway station. Regional and local
connecting trains are awaiting these
trains and thus additional delays
may be caused.
With ETCS train velocity and
arrival times can be calculated in a
more flexible way. New scheduling
systems will take this into account
and transmit resulting follow-on
connections via data services to the
concerned trains thus granting a
minimum of delays and a maximum
of services and actualities to the
passengers. Furthermore, individual
calculations of a passenger for its
ongoing train journey will be possible
provided that equivalent equipment
is installed onboard the train.
Video Surveillance
Different areas needs to be under
video surveillance. Monitoring
stations and platforms for passenger
security reasons as well as
monitoring the amount of leaves on
critical sections of the railway track
for maintenance reason are some
typical examples. Due to the limited
bandwidth either snap shots or low
resolution video is suitable.
Train Positioning/Cargo Tracking
Cargo and passenger railways and
their partners very often demand to
know where the individual freight is
travelling at that particular moment
and when/how it will arrive at the
customer. A freight control system
can be established via data services
and give information about actual
location of the freight and train/
wagon.

Broadband

Online, low
bandwidth, connectivity

connection via

Multi access

via GSM or GSM-R (SMS, GPRS, EDGE)

(Satellite, UMTS, EDGE, CDMA, )

Train

Figure 14 Additional GSM-R applications

Online Ticket Sales

Train Diagnosis Monitoring

WLAN/VPN to passengers

Traditionally tickets are either

submitted at ticket offices in railway
stations, local or foreign traffic
bureaus or ticket machines for either
credit cards or money.

Train online diagnostics data are

collected on the running train (e.g.
supervision of brakes, axles, current
consumption). When the train
returns to its home railway station
or a depot, offline diagnostics take
place and online diagnostic data will
be transferred to the maintenance
personnel for evaluation and repair
to reduce time spent for repair.

WLAN/VPN on Trains is an endto-end service concept operated

by Nokia Siemens Networks. This
scenario includes consulting, design,
build, operation and maintenance
services as well as related customer
support services and billing. This will
allow railway operators to provide
an onboard Internet connectivity
towards passengers under their
own branding. Different means of
transmission is used at different
places depending on the availability
of those. WLAN, satellite, UMTS
etc are examples of transmission
techniques that have been used.

With existing Personal Digital

Assistance (PDA) for GSM-R
connected to portable ticket printers
and credit card readers on board
sales of tickets online can be
offered.
At remote stations ticketing
machines with credit card readers
can be installed connected via
GSM-R.
With GSM-R data services or
GPRS the railways can improve the
services available for passengers
in offering them complete travel
packets for their journey; prebooking of a taxi at the final
destination, early check-in for
luggage for the aircraft and hotel
vouchers could additionally be
offered. To increase the value of
these services the possibility to
change bookings on the ongoing
journey is available.

Some diagnostic data will be

transmitted in the future under ETCS
if they are needed for automatic train
control. All other diagnostic data shall
be collected on the running train
and transferred via radio network
whenever needed. For the most
applications this will be at the home
railway station or inside the depot.
As already mentioned, train
diagnostics are not a GSM-R
specific functionality. Furthermore
this application is highly dependent
on the trains in operation and the
maintenance concept of the specific
operator. Both GSM-R and public
GSM have the necessary data
services to transmit the relevant data
available today.

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Special requirements
on a GSM-R network
Special requirements of GSM-R
networks are derived from the
following demands on applications:
Seamless communication up to a
speed of 500 km/h.
Efficient usage of a limited
number of frequencies (4 MHz).
C/I of 12 dB min (EIRENE
requirement 15 dB).
95 % coverage for 95 % of the
time in a designated coverage
area with a level of above -90
dBm.
Handover success rate of more
than 99.5%.
High availability of both
transmission path and network
equipment depending on the
application in use.

Coverage inside tunnels.

Improved coverage in railway
stations and shunting areas.
Call setup times as indicated
below in 95 % of all cases, and up
to 99 % in less than 1.5 cases of
the described period (ref. EIRENE
FRS version 7.0, chapter 3.4).
These demands are more or less
stringent for the different type of
GSM-R applications. In addition
it is to be considered, whether
the railway wants to roll out a
countrywide network or just to equip
high speed and international tracks
with GSM-R.

Quality requirements of GSM-R

Quality requirements of
GSM-R are based on the GSM
recommendations QoS (Quality of
Services) parameters. Since these
are not defined in detail and different
railway applications need different
QoS, definition of railway QoS is an
ongoing process in EIRENE as well
as between railways and suppliers.
Some of the parameters and figures
presented below will be revised by
the QoS Working Group!
QoS requirements of other railway
applications are below these values.

Network planning requirements

of GSM-R
When planning the railway network,
the following criteria must be taken
into account:
GSM-R applications and resulting
traffic model
Railway network traffic models
differ from those in public mobile
networks. Subscribers will have
more BHCA, SCI and even a longer
talk time. Applications like ETCS will
even require a traffic channel over
the full journey of a train. In turn the
number of subscribers is pretty low
in comparison with a common GSM
network. Features like ASCI VGCS
or VBS will have an impact on the
traffic model. A typical traffic model
of a European railway operator is
shown below.

Availability requirements
As already mentioned, availability
of the radio channel is one of the
key criteria for GSM-R, especially if
ETCS is to be considered. Therefore,
redundant network structures have to
be built wherever really needed.
Railway topology
A typical railway topology includes
flat and hilly terrain. Traditional
railtracks contain a number of curves
while they are avoided if possible for
new tracks. Especially to be taken
into consideration are the following
conditions:
Deep and/or long cuttings
spanned with a bridge.
Long tunnels.
A series of short tunnels with
limited space between.
Tunnel materials (natural stone,
concrete, concrete with steel) and
profile.

Curves and crossings inside the

tunnel.
Train speed
Depending on the maximum
planned train speed the lengths of
handover zones need to be planned
very carefully.
Railway transmission or site
facilities
In many cases, railways already
have transmission facilities and sites
from the traditionally built analogue
networks. To reuse these sites
a migration concept needs to be
established.

Call type

Call setup time

Railway emergency call

< 2s

Group calls between drivers in the same are

< 5s

All operational mobile-to-fixed calls not covered by the above

< 5s

All operational fixed-to-mobile calls not covered by the above

< 7s

Traffic-Source

Call
Type

mErl per
MS per BH

CA per MS
per BH

active
MS

Erl
per BH

CA
per BH

IN-BHCA

All operational mobile-to-mobile calls not covered by the above

< 10 s

Train radio

Voice

80

1000

80

9000

9000

All low priority calls

< 10 s

Emergency phones

Voice

10

0,1

1000

10

100

Maintenance people

Voice

30

1800

54

5400

2700

Station personnel

Voice

30

4000

120

8000

4000

ETCS

Data

500

800

400

3200

Ticket machines

Data

0,1

1000

100

Figure 15 Call setup times defined by EIRENE

QoS Parameter

Value for High Speed Lines

Connection establishment delay of mobile originated calls

< 8.5s (95%), 10s (100%)

Train diagnostic

Data

30

1000

30

2000

Connection establishment error ratio

<10 -2

Shunting radio

VGCS

600

250

150

1000

Maximum end-to-end transfer delay (of 30 byte data block)

0.5s (99%)

Broadcast-calls

VBS

10

0,1

1000

10

100

Connection loss rate

10

Fixed subscribers

Voice

30

800

24

2400

Transmission interference period

< 0.8s (95%), <1s (99%)

Error-free period

>20s (95%), >7s(99%)

Network registration delay

30s (95%), 35s (99%), 40s (100%)

-2

/h

1200

Note: all values are assumptions

Figure 17 Typical traffic model for railway networks

Figure 16 QoS requirements for ETCS (current proposal)

GSM_R_Description_A4_v2.indd 18-19

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BSS

MSC

Two interleaved BSCs with

Loop Multidrop connection

BSS

Figure 18 Directional, sectorized and omni-directional cells

BSS

Typical GSM-R radio network

structures
The typical GSM-R radio network
consists of several elliptical cells
alongside the tracks preferably
with directional antennas in the
track direction. Very often the use
of composite cells is employed,
i.e. directional antennas along the
track but forming only one cell. This
technique is preferably used on
ETCS tracks where the reduction of
the number of handovers is wanted.

radio coverage for each cell has

to be realized along their routes.
Regional railroads and railway
buses may use either public GSM
or shall be included into the GSM-R
network step by step to keep the
investment at a reasonable level.
Therefore frequency planning has to
be carefully adjusted to allow both
optimized coverage for long haul
traffic as well as reduced coverage
for regional railroads thus avoiding
intercell interference.

Within railway stations, a higher

amount of traffic is required
(hot spots), whereas the speed
requirements are reduced. Therefore
large railway stations typically
will have sectorized cells. Less
populated areas with low speed
tracks and bus connections just
need an average voice connection.
These cells may radiate as omnidirectional cells (rural areas without
ETCS).

As a result of the criteria mentioned

above, a typical GSM-R network
architecture in both NSS and BSS
uses redundancies as available
from the existing GSM technology.
In addition to this some further
concepts will be realized as
demonstrated below. The figures in
this chapter show structures realized
with the existing technology and
common to public networks and a
suggested structure for very high
reliability.

To guarantee coverage, availability

and access for the main railroads a
special radio network with optimized

Star connection: The BTS are

connected to the BSC in a Star
connection. This connection applies

Chain connection: The BTS are

connected to the BSC in a Chain
connection via multidrop. Whenever
a BTS fails or the link interface for
the Abis-connection is defect, a
relay switches the PCM30 through to
the next BTS. The switchover will be
seamless for the connection.
Star chain connection: The BTS
are connected to the BSC in a Star
Chain connection via multidrop.
The first two BTS are connected
in a chain, after the second BTS
the connection is split up into a
star chain. The advantage is a
better usage of existing railway
communication cables. Functionality
in case of BTS or link failure is equal
to the first prescribed connection
types.
For the above described cases
the critical path is always the
cable connecting the BTSs. Since
reliability of either copper wire,
fiberoptic cable or microwave links
in combination with the necessary

Chain connection
BSS

Star Chain connection

MSC

BSS

Star connection

Figure 19 GSM-R architecture for low speed tracks and rural areas

GSM_R_Description_A4_v2.indd 20-21

Loop Multidrop connection

especially to sectorized BTS with

several carriers.

Figure 20 GSM-R architecture for ETCS-lines (low and high redundant)

line termination (either NTPM,

HDSL-modem or Drop in-Drop
out-multiplexer) is not necessarily
as high as the reliability of BTS and
BSC, even a very high reliability of
BTS will not improve availability of
the system.
Therefore, railway applications with
high requirements for reliability
will make use of the multidrop
loop architecture. Furthermore
the interleaving of BTS of two
different loops will decrease the
consequences of a single BTS or
BSC failure.
Loop Multidrop connection:
The BTS are connected in a Loop
Multidrop. If now the forward
connection then fails, Nokia
Siemens Networks BTS will switch
seamlessly to the backward
connection. This means that ongoing
calls will not be dropped by loss of
one transmission link.
In the described case, the risk of
cable failure at the critical path is
reduced. The operator may now
choose either to connect two
dedicated cables even separated
by the cable duct (safe solution)
or using logical connections
on a fiberoptic PDH/SDH ring
(economical solution).
Two interleaved BSCs with Loop
Multidrop: The BTS are connected
to two different BSC in Loop
Multidrop interleaving with each
other on a one-by-one scheme.

In the prescribed case, both the risk

of a cable failure and a BTS or BSC
failure is reduced. With adequate
network planning these interleaving
cells may be either planned as an
overlay/underlay network using
Nokia Siemens Networks proven
feature Hierarchical Cell Structure
(HCS) or just as neighboring cells.
To receive an even higher reliability
without a single point of failure
within the GSM-R the following
architecture is suggested:

The case shown above operates

with a fully duplicated network
structure with either collocated
or staggered radio cells. To allow
these two network levels several
functions like:
Priority of cell A1 or B1
Other hierarchical cell parameters
Subscriber administration
Load distribution
will need to be agreed upon with the
customer/operator.

MSC
A

MSC
B

BSS
A

BSS
B

Cell B1 - B4
Cell A1 - A4

Figure 21 Fully duplicated network structure with over-layered radio cells

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GSM-R - Tomorrows communication for todays rail transportation

Radio Coverage
Radio network planning mainly
depends on geographical and
morphological data. Thus a basic
coverage may always be calculated
with existing models using digital
maps of the respective area. These
models need to be tuned for railway
environment and to achieve a high
location probability.
A typical plot for railway coverage
made with Nokia Siemens Networks
radio network planning tool can be
seen below. The dark area shows a
level of -85 dBm (train coverage) but
even the brighter neighboring areas
are sufficient for normal handheld
supply.

Figure 22 Typical radio network planning plots

GSM_R_Description_A4_v2.indd 22-23

Special care has to be taken

regarding uncovered spots and
interference (co-channel or adjacent
channel). Uncovered spots may
be supplied either with optimized
locations for BTS and/or antennas.
Where this does not solve the
problem, additional repeaters may
be used. Generally, the following are
the minimum required planning data
for radio network planning:
Minimum received level of 90
dBm for 95% location/time
probability at 100m (ETCS 97%,
Shunting 99 %) or even more to
cope with ETCS requirements
Mobile station output power 2W
(33 dBm) or 8W (39 dBm)
Mobile station RX sensitivity 102
dBm
C/IC 20 dB co-channel
interference
C/IA 5 dB adjacent channel
interference
Antenna gain (typically 12 to 17
dB) and height above ground
Losses in feeder cable and other
components

Fading margin (slow, fast)

Generally the network will be
designed for Uplink/Downlink
balance.
Network planning and design can
be carried out by Nokia Siemens
Networks network planning
department to the extent required by
the customer.
A link budget calculation is needed
in order to ensure that a minimum
signal level is available given the
receiver sensitivity. The link budget
calculation is on a per TRX basis
and takes all system gains and
losses into account, with established
transmitter output power and
maximum receiver sensitivity.
The usage of two different mobile
types in GSM-R ( MS class 2 & MS
class 5) with different output powers
makes is impossible to determine
a balanced link budget (up link and
down link) for both mobile types.
Therefore a certain compromise
between class 2 and class 5 mobiles
is necessary.
Numbering Plan requirements
The Number plan describes the
system according to EIRENE
specifications, and special
adaptations made to the specific
GSM-R system. It contains short
numbers (speed dial), user groups
(functional groups) used for Group
calls and Broadcast, service and
shift groups, traffic controllers, and a
list of train numbers currently used.

Use if National EIRENE Numbers

The GSM-R numbering plan shall
follow the EIRENE standard and
consist of the following three distinct
parts

CT

UIN

FC

CT Call Type
UIN User Identifier Number
FC Function Code

1) Call Type:
The Call Type (CT) prefix is used
to distinguish between the different
types of User Numbers that are
allowed within the national EIRENE
numbering plan. It is an indication to
the network of how to interpret the
number dialled.
2) User Identifier Number:
The User Identifier Number (UIN)
shall be one of the following
numbers (as identified by the CT)
Running Number (RN): a number
given to a train by operational
staff for a particular journey. This

number shall be unique for the

destination of the journey, and
all RNs shall be the same length
within a single GSM-R network
Engine Number (EN): a unique
number given to a tractive unit
to identify it permanently. The
UIC has introduced a uniform
identification marking system for
a tractive stock crossing frontiers
[UIC 438-3]. In order to call a
particular locomotive, it shall
be possible to call a number
associated with the tractive
units stock number. The total
identification number consists of
11 digits. The actual number of
the unit is denoted by six digits,
which shall be used as the EN.
In order to prevent duplication of
numbering, as each railway is free
to allocate the engine number
leading to number uniqueness
per country only, the Owning or
registering Railway code should
be added as the first digits.
Coach Number (CN): a unique
number given to each coach
(which is not a tractive unit)
to identify it permanently. The
UIC has introduced a uniform
identification marking system
for passenger rolling stock [UIC

438-1]. In order to call a particular

coach it shall be possible to call
a number associated with the
vehicle marking. The total vehicle
marking consists of 12 digits. The
actual number of the coach is
denoted by seven digits (position
5 to 11 of the complete vehicle
marking), which shall be used
as the CN. In order to prevent
duplication of numbering, as each
railway is free to allocate the
coach number leading to number
uniqueness per country only, the
Owning or registering Railway
code should be added as the first
digits.
Shunting Team Location Number
(STLN)
Maintenance Team Location
Number (MTLN)
Train Controller Location Number
(TCLN)
Group Location Number (GLN)
Mobile Subscriber Number (MSN)

3) Function Code:
The Function Code (FC) is used as
an identification of, for example, the
person or equipment on a particular
train, or a particular team within a
given area.

In most cases the GSM-R numbering

plan is integrated in the national
numbering plan and the GSM-R
operator has to apply for an own
Network Destination Code, NDC.

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GSM-R - Tomorrows communication for todays rail transportation

GSM-R Evolution
GSM has been growing with rapid
pace over the last few years. Over
80% of the worlds population is
covered by mobile networks and
growth continues unabated.
The GSM 900, 1800 and 1900
networks will most probably remain
highly competitive over the next few
decades. This will guarantee both
investments in R&D of suppliers,
increasing system performance
and functionality as well as ongoing
support of the GSM standard in the
short as well as in the long run.
GSM-R networks will of course
benefit from evolution forces driven
by the huge Public GSM market.
This chapter will concentrate
on those particular fields where
the evolution of GSM is already
specified and, as we believe, of
particular interest for the railways
keeping in mind that many other
improvements will also become
applicable.

Evolution of GSM
data services
In Public GSM networks, GSM
has an up to date a voice centric
system (the SMS messages are
sent on a signalling channel, not a
traffic channel). Data capabilities
of GSM have not been widely used
despite their advanced data transfer
rates. Two major reasons could be
identified:
Data rates of GSM bearer
services are too low (9.6 kbps
max.).
Applications and terminals
were not available in time with
introduction of the services into
the networks.
Today the situation is rapidly
changing. Mobile Internet

GSM_R_Description_A4_v2.indd 24-25

access and telematic services

are increasingly used for a wide
range of public applications - car
identification, cargo information and
other services which make use of
GSM data services.
Two major demands can be clearly
identified on the market. On the
one hand, higher bandwidth is
required. On the other hand, many
applications like telematic services
or many railway applications have
low data rates and typically highburst transmissions and thus higher
data rates are also required.
Starting with 14.4 kbps data
rates will be increased with
circuit switched data technology.
High Speed Circuit Switched
Data (HSCSD) will use channel
aggregation to allow high data
throughput. Starting from 28.8
kbps, ISDN like rates of 64 kbps
are technically possible with
HSCSD. However, HSCSD as
a circuit switched service needs
two traffic channels (TCH) as
a minimum per connection.
Therefore we recognize HSCSD
as being the best choice for
applications with strict real time
constraints and bulk data transfer.
A technological breakthrough
in GSM was the introduction of
General Packet Radio Services
(GRPS). With the implementation
of GPRS GSM-R networks
will be extended for packet
mode transmission and direct
interworking with IP networks.
GPRS network elements are
built in addition to the existing
network infrastructure. GPRS will
support both burst and bulk data
transfer with the advantage that
the ultimate network resource
of traffic channels (frequencies)
may be used economically.
Since GPRS represents a unique
opportunity to enhance GSM-R,
a more detailed chapter will

describe the major advantages

and possible constraints of
GPRS in a railway environment.
Currently work is ongoing to
investigate if it is possible to run
ETCS over GPRS in order to save
bandwidth.
GPRS in a railway environment
Several GSM-R networks have
implemented GPRS for various
applications. During 2002 we
provided the first GSM-R network
with GPRS in Sweden.
One of the main issues of GSM-R
is spectrum efficiency. Economic
use of frequencies is of special
importance for the railway
communication operator as the
UIC frequency band is limited to
4 MHz (19 TDMA channels or, in
circuit switched mode, 150 traffic
channels).
GPRS as a packet data service
restricts the usage of a traffic
channel to the time the data packet
is actually transmitted. Several (up
to eight) users can simultaneously
access one Packet Data Traffic
Channel (PDTCH). This makes
GPRS exceptionally well suited for
any application requiring high-burst
data transfer on a low data rate
and saves traffic channels for other
applications.
For transmission of bulk data, GPRS
can offer a throughput of up to 120
kbps using advanced reservation
and channel coding system with
all eight timeslots available for one
frequency (TRX). This throughput is
then to be shared among all GPRS
users present in the cell at that
point of time. Furthermore, this data
throughput is affected by the cell to
interference ratio (C/I) available in
the radio call.

Supposed railway applications with

GPRS
All railway applications based on
data transfer could be supported by
GSM-R as there are available:
file transfers
email systems
mobile railway intranets
mobile offices
information broadcasts
vehicle or cargo tracking
applications
passenger services like on-line
booking/reservation
ETCS
ERTMS/ETCS level 2/3 currently
require circuit switched data
connections with a transfer delay
of below 450 ms and extremely low
bit error rates. The safety critical
connection is established via HDLC
protocol end-to-end between the
ATP computer in the train and the
RBC. Today there are investigations
ongoing in order to verify if GPRS
can be used as data bearer for
ETCS. Taking this into account,
GPRS should be validated in a
loaded environment which could be
a track equipped with ERTMS/ETCS
to guarantee that the load situation is
the one of a real railway network. On
the other hand, industrial partners
for ERTMS/ETCS need to define a
packet data interface with security
protocol. Therefore we believe
that usage of GPRS for ERTMS/
ETCS level 2/3 will be the long-term
solution, but the standardisation
effort is not to be forgotten and this
can take a long time.
However, the biggest benefit is the
possibility of a duplicated connection
without wasting too many radio
resources.
EDGE is implemented as a bolt-on
enhancement for GSM and GPRS
networks, making it easier for

existing GSM carriers to upgrade to

it. EDGE is a superset to GPRS and
can function on any network with
GPRS deployed on it, provided the
carrier implements the necessary
upgrade.
Although EDGE requires no
hardware or software changes to
be made in GSM core networks,
base stations must be modified.
EDGE compatible transceiver units
must be installed and the base
station subsystem (BSS) needs
to be upgraded to support EDGE.
New mobile terminal hardware and
software is also required to decode/
encode the new modulation and
coding schemes and carry the
higher user data rates to implement
new services.

Evolution to UMTS
Mobile communications systems
started about 30 years ago as
analogue systems with limited
network capabilities. These and
even the analogue cellular networks
in the 450 MHz and 900 MHz range
are considered as first-generation
technology.
Systems like GSM are to be
considered as second-generation
technology. Network structure is
still cellular but the connectivity
and the services are equal to ISDN
on the fixed network side. GSM-R
benefits from this advantages
and even though this system is
in the commercial market it is
still in progress due to additional
specification and development.

clear evidence that mobile data

applications are a fast growing
market. With UMTS, true multimedia
applications with very high data
throughput in real-time mode
becomes possible. In contradiction,
GPRS with GSM, which opens
the market for high data rate
applications, will never have a
comparable throughput.
Today there is no real evidence
that UMTS could be of interest
for the railways in the near future.
Applications specified by EIRENE
and other applications foreseeable
need feature functionalities as
specified in GSM Phase 2 and
Phase 2+. GPRS will be a welcome
extension to GSM-R networks
due to the fact that high burst data
transfer will out-rule bulk data
transfer in railway networks by far.
In addition, the railway community
will have to apply once more for a
frequency spectrum.
The existing GSM-R networks will
most probably offer connectivity
to UMTS and feature sets will be
balanced, we believe that GSM-R
will benefit from UMTS features.
If railways really think about
UMTS, it will be mainly in the field
of Passenger Services such as
allowing multimedia application
on train. UMTS therefore may
be introduced to GSM-R as an
extension either by reuse of GSM-R
infrastructure or in just connecting
public UMTS networks to the
GSM-R network, whenever required.

The new, third-generation

technology called UMTS (Universal
Mobile Telecommunication System)
adds bandwidth on demand to
mobile communication systems.
This is necessary since there is

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GSM-R - Tomorrows communication for todays rail transportation

Conclusion
The need to modernize their
communication networks is evident
to many railway organisations. New
communication technologies should
not only give advantages regarding
cost and operation & maintenance
organisation, but also allow
international interoperability and
communication. New applications
should make railway operation
more attractive for both staff and
passengers.
With GSM-R, European railways
have definitely made the right
choice. Based on ISDN, GSM is
offering a wide range of services
and internationally compatible
features.
The success and penetration of
GSM networks throughout the world
show that it is the worlds most
widely deployed digital wireless
communication system, secure
and proven in operation. In analogy
to that GSM-R will tend to be the

leading mobile telephone system for

the present and the near future.
The vision of UIC was to select a
system for the railways that had
several potential suppliers, was far
spread in the world and needed
as few modifications as possible.
This vision is now a fact. The
basic functionality of GSM-R is
already implemented and has been
delivered, tested and validated in
the MORANE trials and in several
GSM-R projects for use in railway
networks. About 30 European
railways have committed themselves
to introducing this technology on
their international network. The
advantages of GSM-R will convince
them that GSM-R is the right system
for their complete networks.
Nokia Siemens Networks has many
years of experience in commercial
GSM-R projects. Thereby the
development, implementation and
improvement of standardized and

List of abbreviations
non-standardized GSM-R features
has been conducted and proved.
Also we take a major part in the
validation process for GSM-R.
Gaining from these activities Nokia
Siemens Networks is one step
ahead on the path for GSM-R
introduction. The fully specified
EIRENE functionality is already
verified, tested and in use in several
GSM-R networks.
Regarding this and the progress
GSM has made since 1991
in comparison to concurring
technologies GSM-R is definitely
the right choice of UIC for ETCS
and other railway communication
systems and Nokia Siemens
Networks is the right partner to
realize this.

ABC
AC
ASCI
ATC
ATP
AuC
BHCA
BR
BS
BSC
BSS
BTS
CBS
CCITT
CI
CLIP
CLIR
COLP
COLR
CT
C/I
DECT
E.164
EDSS
EIR
EIRENE
eMLPP
ERTMS
ETCS
ETSI
EWSD

GSM_R_Description_A4_v2.indd 26-27

Administration and Billing

Centre
Authentication Centre
Advanced Speech Call
Items
Automatic Train Control
Automatic Train
Protection
Authentication Centre
Busy Hour Call Attempt
British Rail
Base Station
Base Station Controller
Base Station Subsystem
Base Transceiver Station
Cell Broadcast Service
Committee for
International Telegraph &
Telecommunications
Cell Identifier
Calling Line Identification
Presentation
Calling Line Identification
Restriction
COnnected Line
identification Presentation
COnnected Line
identification Restriction
Craft Terminal
Carrier to Interference
ratio
Digital Enhanced
Cordless
Telecommunication
CCITT Recommendation
(Numbering plan for the
ISDN era)
European Digital
Subscriber Signalling
System
Equipment Identification
Register
European Integrated
Railway radio Enhanced
NEtwork
Enhanced Multi-Level
Precedence and Preemption service
European Rail Traffic
Management System
European Train Control
System
European
Telecommunications
Standards Institute
Elektronisches
Whlsystem Digital
(Digital Switching
System)

FN
GCR
GMSC

Functional Number
Group Call Register
Gateway Mobile
Switching Centre
GPRS
General Packet Radio
Services
GPS
Global Positioning
System
GSM
Global System for Mobile
Communication
GSM-R Global System for Mobile
Communication (for
Railway applications)
HDLC
High Level Data Link
Control protocol
HDSL
High speed Digital
Subscriber Line
HPLMN Home Public Land Mobile
Network
HLR/AC Home Location Register/
Authentication Centre
HSCSD High Speed Circuit
Switched Data
HW
Hardware
ID
Identification
IN
Intelligent Network
IP
Internet Protocol
ISDN
Integrated Services
Digital Network
LAC
Local Area Code
LAN
Local Area Network
LZB
LinienZugBeeinflussung
MAC
Message Authentication
Code
MCC
Mobile Country Code
MLPP
Multi-Level Precedence
and Pre-emption service
MNC
Mobile Network Code
MOC
Mobile Originated Call
MORANE MObile RAdio for
Railways Networks in
Europe
MoU
Memorandum of
Understanding
MS
Mobile Subscriber
MSC
Mobile Switching Centre
MSC/VLR Mobile Switching Centre/
Visitor Location Register
MSISDN Mobile Station ISDN
Number
MTC
Mobile Terminated Call
NTPM
Network Termination
Point Module
NSS
Switching SubSystem
PABX
Private Automatic Branch
eXchange
PAMR
Public Access Mobile
Radio
PCM
Pulse Code Modulation

PCS
PDH
PDTCH
PLMN
PMR
PSTN
QoS
RAC
RBC
RFI
RFQ
SACCH
SCI
SCP
SDH
SIB
SMG
SMP
SMS
SSP
SW
TCH
TDMA
TETRA
TK
TRAU
TRX
UIC
UIN
UMTS
USSD
UUS.1
VBS
VGCS
VLR
VMS
VMSC
WLAN

Personal
Communications System
Plesiochronous Digital
Hierarchy
Packed Data Traffic
Channel
Public Land Mobile
Network
Private Mobile Radio
Public Switched
Telephone Network
Quality of Services
Railway Access Code
Radio Block Centre
Request For Information
Request For Quotation
Stand-Alone Control
CHannel
Subscriber Controller
Input
Service Control Point
Synchronous Digital
Hierarchy
Service Independent
building Blocks
Special Mobile Group
Service Management
Point
Short Message Service
Service Switching Point
Software
Traffic Channel
Time Division Multiple
Access
Trunked
Telecommunication
Transcoding Rate
Adaptation Unit
Transceiver
Union International de
Chemin de fer
User Identifier Number
Universal Mobile
Telephone System
Unstructured
Supplementary Service
Data
User to User Signalling 1
Voice Broadcast Service
Voice Group Call Service
Visitor Location Register
Voice Mail Service
Visited MSC
Wireless Local Area
Network

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